Twist of Fate
by Wolfpack pride
Summary: Dean and Bela's paths cross and they are forced to work together as old enemies pull out new tricks and new allies.
1. Chapter 1

Twist of Fate

Takes place in season 3, after Red sky in Morning but before Dream a Little Dream of Me.

I do not own Supernatural or any characters or ideas relating to the brilliant show.

Dean and Bela's paths cross and they are forced to work together as old enemies pull out new tricks and new allies. (Continuation of One Last Score, the drabble. You do not have to read that first though.)

* * *

"Dean, this could have the answer we've been looking for!" Sam paced around the motel room trying to make his stubborn older brother listen.

"I. don't. care. Everything about this is wrong. The only reason you even want to see this guy is because Ruby told you to." Dean accused.

"I don't understand why that automatically means we can't check it out. I researched it myself. Everything checks out. He could be the way out of your deal."

Dean opened his mouth to retort, but before he could, moment caught his eye out the window. Instantly, the fight was forgotten and the brothers were tense and ready to spring into action should it be a threat.

"I bet little Ruby set this up as a trap." Dean sneered in hushed tones.

Sam glared at him. "Really? Not the time." He barked out just as silently as he took the safety off his weapon.

Dean ever so slightly brushed the thread bare curtains aside so he could get a better look at what was crouching outside the room.

It took all his self control to keep from doubling over from laughing at what he saw.

Much to Sam's confusion, he straightened up, grabbed his gun from the waistband of his jeans and cocked it. He took a deep breath and opened up the door.

"Hello, Bela."

XXXXX

"This is it." Bela closed her eyes and promised herself in the shadowed parking lot of the sleazy motel. "This is all I need to get out." That had been her mantra for the past several weeks as she tracked the Winchester's location.

"As soon as I get the Colt, I can be free." She had been on the run since Lilith had paid her a visit over a month ago and she knew she couldn't stop until she had something that could kill the demon and anything else that may stand in her way. She took a deep breath, shouldered her bag, and crept away from the shelter of her car and across the parking lot as the rain poured down around her and crouched down in front of Room 18.

She had trouble keeping her hands from shaking, not from the cold, though being soaked to the bone certainly wasn't helping matters, but from anxiety. She wasn't one to get nervous but lately the stress was wearing down her nerves. She slid her tools into the simple lock and began fiddling with them until she heard the tell tale click. She was so close to safety, so close to freedom.

She reached for the knob and a moment before she turned it, the door opened to reveal Dean Winchester standing in his favorite pose- pointing a gun at her head.

"Hello, Bela."

She paused briefly, stunned. All the signs pointed to the boys being gone. Well, all the signs aside from the light being on and voices coming from inside. She mentally cursed her stupidity. Normally she'd have never missed such obvious signs of occupation. Much to her despair, the Winchesters were still very much at the motel room and now, mad as well. She gathered her breath and gracefully stood up from her hunched position to look Dean in the eye. If she was going down, she was going down with her head held high.

"Hello, Dean. I was unaware you would be in for the evening."

He scoffed half heartedly. He grabbed her wrist and pulled her inside.

"Hey, Sam, look what the cat dragged in."

He taunted as he shoved her toward the bed and waited patiently for her to straighten up and take a seat before sitting down on the second bed across from her with the gun never wavering. Sam who had been standing in the far corner marched over. His 6'4" frame towered over her. She suppressed a tremor that threatened to reveal her nervousness to the two hunters.

"Talk." Sam ordered.

"Pardon me?" She feigned offense.

"Why are you here?" Dean questioned.

"Why, Dean, you so accurately predicted my arrival. Can you not see my motives too?"

He clicked off the safety of his favorite hand gun.

"Fine." She put her hands up in mock surrender, "I have a client. One who is willing to pay a great deal of money for a talisman that you two happen to be in possession of." Of course she was lying, but they didn't need to know that. She had a feeling that telling them she was here to steal the Colt would end very badly. She could just hear how that would go. _'Oh yes, Dean. I'm here to steal your most precious possession that will most certainly result in your death.' _

_Bang!_

"And?" Dean said as he stood up.

"And nothing. That's all." She stared up at them.

Dean wasn't buying it. She could see it in his eyes.

"You sure, Bela? Because you don't seem like the type to be personally breaking into crappy hotel rooms in the middle of a rain storm for just any pay day. You especially don't seem like the type to get caught so talk."

For a moment, she debated internally between revealing the truth to them and hoping they would help her and lying through her teeth and getting away from the hellhole as fast as she could. She laughed at herself for even considering opening up to the two lunatics holding her hostage and decided to do what she did best.

She flashed a sly, sultry smile and stood up slowly. "Dean, truly, all I came for was the talisman. Sorry to disappoint you." She slipped past him and made her way almost to the door before Sam sidestepped in between her and her escape.

"We're not done yet." He growled. She could tell that he was still a long way off from getting over her shooting him.

She rolled her eyes. "You're still mad about that little incident with the rabbits foot?"

His glare intensified and she, for once in her life, decided to cut her losses and sit back down.

'_Hunters and their petty little grudges_.' She rolled her eyes and thought.

"What more do you want me to say? Yes, I came to steal a talisman, no, I don't have a hidden agenda, and I would very much like to go home and find a different occult object to procure for this fellow because something tells me he won't take my failure well without a substitute."

Neither Winchester had moved and Dean still had his gun trained at a spot between her eyes.

"Fine." She huffed in her usual cavalier manner. "You can either shoot me now or my client will later."

Dean looked conflicted, but Sam just stood up and left the room with a poignant "I'm going to go check out that lead before we loose it. Do whatever you want with her."

Dean glared at the door a moment after it was slammed shut before turning back to Bela. He should have known he would take the distraction to check out the bartender Ruby had convinced him was the key. He made a mental note to tear Sam a new one for it.

Bela let out a sigh of relief. She even allowed herself to give a small smile. Dean, she could handle. She highly doubted he'd shoot her then and there. Though when she'd shot Sam, he probably would have, given the chance. When she messed with his car, he might have. Even after the Gordon incident he probably could have, but not now. Yes, Dean, she could handle. In fact, she'd quite enjoyed their previous altercations.

He flicked the safety back on his gun.

"I'm not gonna shoot you, but you're not leaving here either."

"You can't hold me captive forever, Dean." She informed him without hesitation.

"Not forever, just until you tell me why you're really here. I must say, I'm impressed. You're an excellent liar, but I'm still not buying the whole 'angry client' story. What's really going on?"

Under his probing gaze, Bela suddenly found the wall paper to be fascinating.

Dean watched her turn away and fixate on everything but him. For the first time since he saw her creeping up to the door through the motel window, he noticed the tiredness written across her delicate features. It was obvious she hadn't been sleeping well. He was all too familiar with the signs of sleep deprivation and if he had to guess, he'd say it'd been at least three days since she got a full night of uninterrupted sleep. Not only did he see exhaustion, but as he looked closer, he saw something he never expected - fear. While he didn't know Bela extremely well, every time he'd been around her, there had been more than a small element of danger and she had stared it down each and every time without so much as a flicker of fear or self-doubt. Now, all of a sudden, that's all he can see.

He couldn't help feeling sorry for her. He knew exactly what it was like to go through life with that kind of exhaustion and fear hanging over his head and he wouldn't wish it upon anyone.

"What's wrong?"

His stare went from questioning to concerned when Bela finally turned back to him and he could see the tears pricking at her eyes.

"I'm fine. Now will you please just let me go home?" Her voice cracked with emotion. She had bottled up all the anxiety for so long and hid it away behind sarcasm and heists and she just couldn't do it anymore. Not when here was probably the one person on earth that might understand and be able to help.

"Something's wrong." It wasn't a question. Sam would probably mock him endlessly if he saw him right now but Dean didn't care.

"I told you, I'm fine." Most people wouldn't have noticed the aching weariness that draped off her shoulders or the cracks in her I'm-queen-of-the-world facade. Most would have taken her words at face value but not Dean.

He got up from his bed and moved over to sit beside her. "You might be able to pull that crap with everyone else but I can see right through it. You're not fine." His voice was gruff but gentle. If someone asked him later, even he wouldn't have been able to explain why he hadn't just shot her and be done with it, or why he hadn't at least kicked her out. Something in him had recognized a kindred spirit and was reluctant to let go so easily.

She glanced up at him. It was so tempting to spill everything that had been weighing on her, but even just thinking about it brought forth memories she had suppressed for the past ten years.

She had been 14 and sitting on a swing near her family's home when that little girl with the red eyes had offered her the only thing she'd ever wanted. Not knowing any better, she'd said yes. Two days later, her wealthy, abusive father and her 'ignorance is bliss' mother died in a fiery car accident. She was free from the oppression her father had maintained all her life and was finally allowed to breathe without looking over her shoulder and wondering when he'd decided he needed her again.

She hadn't spent a considerable amount of time with Dean but she knew enough that he was fiercely loyal to his family, something she was jealous of Sam for, and was one that no matter what, you could go to and he would help. She steeled herself to do the one thing that went against every fiber in her being.

She took a stuttering breath. "Dean, I'm in trouble."

Dean's instincts automatically kicked into high gear at hearing those words. He had been raised to protect and hearing her openly admit to being in trouble brought all those instincts roaring to the surface. Sam had always been his charge to protect and defend but somewhere between his father teaching him exorcisms, bow hunting, and how to take down a werewolf faster than most kids could tie their shoes, the man had instilled in him that it was his duty to keep a woman safe.

"What's wrong?" His voice was now almost a growl. Everything in him was pounding to identify, evaluate, and eliminate the danger threatening the woman beside him.

"My father was an awful man, absolutely horrid. He would…he would-" She squeezed her eyes shut and a shiver coursed through her at the memory. Dean seemed to grasp what she was getting at and wrapped one arm around her body and comfortingly stroked her back.

"I made a deal…10 years ago." Her breath was coming in spurts as she fought off the complete breakdown that she was so long overdue for, "10 years and my soul for them to disappear…for my freedom, my life. It was going to…Come due…in a few months, but Lilith decided-" She paused again to collect herself before continuing on. "She decided that 'my soul was going to be of more use on earth than it ever would be in Hell' and called off the deal. She brought back my father, Dean. She brought him back."

For the first time since starting her tale, she looked into his eyes. She could see concern there, concern for her well-being. She had never had someone look at her like that before. Her carefully constructed walls crumbled and she could no longer fight back the tears. She had never told anyone what had happened to her before and the entire experience was somewhat exhausting.

"And Dean," as tired as she was, she couldn't rest without passing on one last bit of information. Dean deserved that much, "She holds your deal too."

Dean's mind was reeling as she collapsed against him and for the first time in 10 years, she was content to just sit there and cry, with no regards to what anyone might think of her. Lilith held his deal. That meant if they killed Lilith, he might be able to skip out on the trip down stairs.

His tactical mind decided to file that somewhere to think about later when it wasn't nearing the 2 am mark and went back to what she said previously. He shuddered at the very thought of what happened to Bela. He'd thought he had a messed up childhood, but it couldn't compare to hers and now, thanks to her, they were one step closer to getting him out of his deal and killing the demon once and for all. He hugged her a little tighter and drew gentle circles on her back with his thumb until he felt her shaking body relax against him and her breathing even out as she drifted off to sleep. He followed her soon after.

* * *

Alright there you have it. Chapter one. I hope the characters weren't too OOC and I did tweak Demonic Contract Lore a little bit but hopefully nothing too egregious.

I've been working on this story off and on for the past year and a half. I finally decided that even though it isn't 100% finished yet, I would start posting and see what kind of response I get. With that being said, I would absolutely love to know what you think. Send me a review, favorite, follow, whatever. I love hearing from you guys.

God Bless


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: I wasn't planning on posting this just yet but I am officially out of school for the summer and wanted to celebrate.

* * *

Sam pulled into the dirt parking lot behind the Stable Saloon. After Ruby tipped him off that someone might have some info for him there, he did a little digging and found that the Stable was kind of the Roadhouse of Nevada and the best hunters bar west of the Rockies. He stepped out of the impala and up the walk to the entrance. He pushed aside the heavy wooden doors and could see Devil's traps and sigils subtly hidden throughout the rustic décor. If he hadn't been trained from a young age to be on the lookout for that kind of thing, he'd have never noticed they were even there. He weaved between the various patrons playing pool and shooting darts and made his way up to the counter.

"Beer, please." He asked the woman standing behind it.

"Sure thing." She replied and popped the top off a bottle and handed it to him. "Here ya go."

"Thanks."

He gratefully took it and turned slightly to survey the crowd and staff. The bar was far from packed but more than a few people were hanging out inside The Stable. To most, it would appear that it was just your average bar full of average Joe's but Sam could see that the patrons here were most certainly not simple civilians. He would even go so far as bet that every person in there was carrying. He turned back around to face the bartender.

"Haven't seen you before." The brunette commented as she wiped down some shot glasses and put them back on the shelf, "What brings you to the Stable?"

"I'm looking for Al. A friend said he ran the place and might have some info I could use."

She ducked her head and laughed, letting her hair fall like a wavy curtain in front of her face before turning back to him with a smirk.

"Well, there's no Al here but if you're willing to talk to Ally, you're lookin' at her."

Sam blushed at his mistake and nodded. "I guess that'll work."

She leaned over the bar and rested on her elbows.

"Then what do you want to know?"

He glanced around the room again cautiously and before he could say a word, she got a knowing look in her eye, stood up and stepped out from behind the bar.

"James! Cover the bar for me." She yelled to one of the guys making the rounds.

"Follow me." She beckoned Sam from over her shoulder as she walked away.

She led him into a small back room with a poker table in the middle of it. Sam stood in the door way and watched in awe as she went around to all the windows on each side of the five sided room and closed the wooden blinds to reveal sigils and protection symbols that wouldn't be visible when the windows were open. She lifted up the felt on the poker table to reveal a devil's trap painted underneath.

"Whatever you say in here..." She moved around to lock the door, "stays in here."

"How did you-" Sam started to ask.

"I know a hunter when I see one." She cut him off, "Now what kind of info are you looking for?"

He took a deep breath.

"Cross roads deals."

She raised an eyebrow. It wasn't often people came in asking about those.

"Cross roads deals, huh?"

"More specifically, how to get out of them." His tone was firm and determined.

She paled. "I think you better start at the beginning. Tell me what happened."

Under any other circumstances, Sam would have never even considered telling anyone who wasn't either blood or Bobby what went down in Cold Oak, but this girl seemed trustworthy and he was getting more desperate by the day.

XXXXXXXxxxxxxxx

"Ok, so let me get this straight. If you mess with the deal, you die."

Sam nodded and took a swig of his beer.

"You don't mess with the deal, your brother dies."

Another nod.

She huffed and sat back in her chair. Both fell silent as they wracked their brains for any solution.

"Damn. Have you tried killing the thing?"

Sam looked up tiredly. "Tried that. She said she didn't hold the contract."

"Well yeah. From what I can tell, this was a big score. No low level crossroads demon is going to be holding the contract for your brother. You guys are big names in this business."

Sam tilted his head at her.

"I do more than just run a bar, you know and demons love to gossip." She informed him, "Anyway, from what I've heard, Lilith's been collecting contracts."

Sam mentally cursed himself for not thinking of it sooner. It only made sense that Lilith would hold the contract. He swallowed as his mind reeled with the possibilities that resulted from this revelation.

"Thank you so much. I owe you one." He stood up to leave.

"No problem." She followed him out and watched him climb into the impala. Just before the door slammed shut, she called out to him.

"Hey, I know it probably doesn't mean much coming from a stranger, but I hope everything works out. Next time you're in town, drop by. I'd love to see you again and hopefully meet this brother of yours."

He smiled and drove off in the direction of the motel.

The parking lot was silent aside from the sound of the impala rolling over the loose asphalt as Sam pulled up to the motel. His mind was in over-drive processing the information Ally had given him. Lilith held Dean's contract. If they could just kill her, then Dean could go free. Now the only thing left was to find her.

He stepped out of the car and walked up to the room they were staying in and opened the door.

He was so caught up in '_Mission: Undo Idiot Brother's Crossroad's Deal_' that he made it all the way to the bathroom before noticing Bela. She and Dean were lying beside each other on the small bed with Bela tucked affectionately under Dean's shoulder. Sam honestly didn't know whether to laugh or shoot.

"Well, at least they're both fully dressed." He muttered under his breath and shut the door.

Dean lifted his head at the sound. He was obviously still half asleep. His eyelids were barely open and Sam could tell it was taking a great deal of effort to keep them open at all. His hair was pushed to one side and sticking straight up. He looked thoroughly confused by the situation he found himself in. His eyes went from Sam to Bela sleeping beside him and back again with a light scowl on his face.

Sam just stood there smirking at him and Dean knew that he was going to be hearing about this for a very long time.

Dean's eyebrows were scrunched together and his head was tilted as he tried to put the pieces together. Then he recalled the events of earlier in the evening and it all made sense. He drowsily rubbed his eyes and sat up. He directed his attention back to Sam.

"How did the lead go?"

Sam smiled a tiny bit. He and Dean could fight like no other but when it came down to it, they had each other's backs. Even if Dean didn't like where the intel came from, he would still listen to see if anything good came out of it.

"I figured out who holds your deal."

"Let me guess, Lilith?" His brother deadpanned back to him.

Sam didn't know exactly what he had expected Dean's reaction to be, but that certainly wasn't it.

"Uh, yeah. How did you guess that?"

"Little birdie told me." He nodded his head towards the sleeping woman.

The boys fell into silence until Bela moved a bit in her sleep and brought Dean's attention back to her. Without a word, he scooped her up in his arms and moved her under the covers. He picked up a pillow and blanket and made a makeshift bed on the floor.

"Good night, Sammy."

Sam stared at him for a moment. He was slightly stunned that Dean would sleep on the floor just so Bela could have the bed. The more he thought about it, though, the more it made sense. Ever sense they were children, Dad had always taught them that it was their job to make certain the women around them were safe and comfortable even if it meant making sacrifices. Protect them at all costs.

Dean, even in all his womanizing ways, had always taken that lesson to heart.

"Good night."

* * *

Thank you so much to those who reviewed the previous chapter. I'm so glad there's some support out there for this story. Reviews make my day so please, let me know what you think! God bless.

(Side note: I'm looking for a beta for the later chapters of this story. If anyone's interested, message me. Thanks)


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own Supernatural

Here's the next chapter. Thank you to all who've reviewed and even read this story. Of all my stories, this is the one I'm most passionate about so it thrills me beyond words that you're reading it. Please continue.

* * *

The morning sun shone through the window and filtered down onto Bela's face. She opened her eyes and rubbed at them drowsily in an attempt to wake up. Once her vision was restored, she shot a quick glance at the clock.

_6:08 a.m._

She sat up and took an inventory of her surroundings. She couldn't recall how she'd gotten under the covers. Then she noticed Dean sprawled out on the floor, fast asleep. She noted that Sam had returned at some point during the night and was resting peacefully in the bed across from her judging from the even rise and fall of his chest as he breathed.

Satisfied, she pushed the comforter aside and detangled herself from the sheets. As quietly as she could manage, she slipped out of bed and shivered when her bare feet dropped to the floor. She slinked around the sleeping Winchester on the floor to grab her shoes and left the room without a sound.

Dean awoke that morning to the distinctive and unpleasant sound of Sam pacing. The younger Winchester was slowly walking the length of the room and back again as he talked on the phone. He took a moment to glance around the room and quickly realized that he was on the floor and Bela was no longer in the bed. That seemed strange to him, but by no means surprised him. Like him, Bela was the cut and run type. He turned his attention back to his anxious brother.

"So you think you have a way to track Lilith?" He heard Sam ask.

A pause.

"We'll be there as soon as we can." Sam clicked the phone shut and spun to face Dean and truly looked at him for the first time all morning.

He looked like crap. His hair was sticking up on one side and he still had sleep piled in the inner corners of his gold-green eyes. They lacked their usual glimmer and despite his best attempts at raising them to a normal waking level, his eye lids still hung down as a reminder of his ever-present exhaustion. Sam tried as best he could to write his brother's run down appearance off as a night of sleeping on a dirty motel floor with a flat pillow and a thread bare blanket, but he knew the truth. Dean had meant it when he said he was tired of the job. Looking at him now, he looked like he was fully prepared to die just to let it all be over.

Then again, Dean had always exceeded one's expectations and even as these thoughts were passing through Sam's mind, Dean appeared to mentally shake himself to get himself back in the game. He forced his eyes open further and rubbed a weary hand over his face and stared back at Sam with the same protective intensity he always had even since they were children. That was the Dean Sam knew and loved. A small smile graced his lips and Sam knew that somehow, they would get through this. He would not let them take his brother away from him.

This time it was his turn to shake himself out of his inner monolog. He opened his mouth to speak and had to pause. His brows scrunched together as he tried to recover his previous train of thought.

Bobby, Lilith, tracking. Right.

"Um, Bobby thinks he's got something on how to track down Lilith."

Dean's eyebrows shot up. "Let's get a move on, then. We're wasting day light."

They shuffled about the room packing up their minimal possessions with practiced ease. Suddenly, a knock sounded on the door. Sam concealed his gun in the waist band of his jeans but made sure it would be easy to access and made his way to the door. The last thing he expected to see on the other side of the splintering wood was Bela with a suitcase and coffee but there she was. Without a moment's hesitation, Sam slammed the door and pivoted to glare at his brother.

"No." Sam said firmly and continued to toss things into his duffle refusing to give any mind to the woman standing on the other side of the door.

"What?"

"She's not coming."

"I never said she was! But if she-" The older Winchester started.

"No. Just…no!" Sam stated in his no-nonsense tone.

"Oh come on! Why not?"

Sam spun around and glared at his brother.

"She shot me! That's one little thing you seem to have forgotten about! And as if that's not enough, she stole you're car!"

"Trust me, I haven't forgotten. Still, she wants Lilith. We're hunting Lilith. Lilith is hunting us. If we pool our resources, we might have a better shot of ganking her before she ganks us."

He saw the logical side of Sam reluctantly wake up.

"Admit it. I'm right." He pressed.

"Fine. " Sam conceded with a scowl. "But one foot out of line, and she's gone."

"Deal."

"Oh, and she doesn't get a firearm!" He added as an after-thought.

Sam begrudgingly reopened the door and without saying a word, he turned his back on the woman and zipped up his bag with more force than was necessary. As far as he was concerned, she was solely his brother's problem.

She made her way over the threshold and stared at Dean with curiosity plainly on her face.

"Bobby has a theory. We're headed his way." He offered.

Her eyebrows raised in interest. "Well then, shall we go?" She turned to put her bags in the impala with her head raised and an air of condescending confidence around her.

"I guess it was too much to hope that her ego would disappear over night, eh Sammy?" He tossed over his shoulder to a sulking Sam. "Let's hit the road."

* * *

Bela leaned casually against her shiny silver Mercedes as the boys had what appeared to be yet another minor spat over her accompanying them.

_Hunters_, she thought,_ always making things harder than they need to be_.

She adjusted her very expensive jacket and approached them.

"We're headed to Bobby Singer's place, correct?"

The brothers paused their argument at the sudden interruption and turned to look at her.

"Yeah." They affirmed together.

"Alright, then. I'll see you there." She grabbed her bags from the trunk and transferred them to the packing compartment of her own vehicle. The men stared after her in a surprised silence. Sam opened his mouth to speak but Dean raised a hand and walked off following Bela.

"What do you mean 'See you there?'"

"Why, Dean, it's a fairly simple statement. I'm sure you'll figure it out." She opened up the door and slid into the driver's seat but Dean prevented her from closing the door and getting this little road trip underway. Sensing that he wasn't going to let her leave without an explanation, she sighed and decided to give him what he wanted.

"I'll head to Bobby's and you and Sam meet me there. Is there a problem with that?"

Dean shot her a look. "Yeah there's a problem with that. You just admitted that your crazy undead father is out to get you and you think I'm letting you out of my sight? Uh uh. Get in the impala." Even she had to appreciate his concern (even if it was hidden beneath his rough "no nonsense" tone); however, that in no way meant that she was ready to let him start thinking that she needed to be taken care of.

"Point taken. However, you are out of your mind if you think I am letting my car rot in this filthy motel parking lot indefinitely. You of all people should understand that." She reasoned.

Dean started to speak but she cut him off. "and before you even suggest it, Sam is not driving my car."

Dean paused to consider. "Okay, fine. You can take your car, but Sammy and I will be right behind you the whole way. Clear?"

"Yes, sir." she answered mockingly.

She pulled out of the "parking lot," which in reality was little more than an empty patch of dirt, and set her course for Bobby Singer's residence. A short while later, she was on some back road high way with no other cars in sight, well, not including her shadow impala.

'_He's going to find us._' her traitorous mind whispered in the silence.

She ignored it and focused on the road.

'_You know he will._' It taunted. '_He always did before. No matter where we hid, he found us._'

She turned on the radio.

_'No little hunter is going to stop him-not when he has Lilith on his side.'_

She shook her head. "I'll survive."

…

After many many miles of nothing but her thoughts and the radio to keep herself entertained, she noticed that Dean had maneuvered the impala up beside her on the deserted highway. He caught her eye and shot her that crooked little smile with a mischievous glint in his eyes. He revved his engine a bit till the impala's nose was just past that of her Mercedes then fell back a bit before doing it again. After a moment of confusion, it clicked.

He wanted to race.

Well, she was more than happy to oblige.

She gave him a smile just as devious as his own and floored it. Dean didn't hesitate in following suit. Sam rolled his eyes and leaned back in the passenger's seat trying to ignore his surroundings. While Bela may have had an early lead, the impala had made up ground quickly and was pulling ahead. She recognized a few landmarks and knew they were getting close to Bobby's. She shifted gears and gave a short burst of speed, just enough to pass the '67 Chevy. Sam watched as Dean narrowed his eyes at the woman. Just then, the faded, dilapidated "Singer's Auto Yard" sign came into view. Dean somehow pushed the impala to go even faster than she already was (Sam could have sworn he saw Dean whispering to her just before he felt the acceleration), smirked, and pulled into the lot in front of Bela. Sam glared at him for his childish antics as he stepped out of the car and walked up to the porch.

"Hey Bobby." Sam greeted casually.

"Evening, Bobby. It's been a while." Bela commented haughtily as she entered his house. While her back was turned, Bobby glared fiercely at the Winchesters. They could have at least called to warn him about their unwanted sidekick. They shrugged sheepishly.

"So what's this theory you have for finding Lilith?" Dean asked, trying to change the subject, while rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly.

As much as the 'retired' hunter wanted to slap the boys upside the head and kick Bela out, he knew that right now, the priority was to kill Lilith.

"My 'theory,'" he said with only a slight sneer in his tone, "is to locate her using a ritual I found."

"And it'll show us where she's hiding?" Sam asked cautiously. He didn't want to get his hopes up if it wasn't going to work.

Bobby scoffed, "When I'm done, we'll know the street."

Without further discussion, Bobby began throwing out assignments and grabbing the supplies the ritual required and carried them to his study. He had several things already laid out including a large map and what Dean mentally described as the 'mother of all tripods.' The three men ignored Bela entirely as they went about their business.

The ritual truly was remarkably simple. It was a wonder they didn't figure it out earlier. Now, they finally had the advantage. They knew exactly where she was-why she was lounging in Colorado was still a mystery but they were making progress.

Bobby sighed knowing that his boys were going to hunt down the demon just as soon as it was humanly feasible. He was burdened with the knowledge that it would no doubt be one of the most dangerous things they had ever tried, but hell if he wasn't going to help them every step of the way. Unwilling to continue on his (hazardously chick-flickish) train of thought, he wiped the chalk dust off of his hands and that was enough to snap Sam and Dean out of their own thoughts and start cleaning up. Right as they finished putting the last of the candles away, Dean's stomach chose to voice its dissatisfaction with his choice to drive through dinner.

Sam smiled and broke the silence, "Well, I'm not sure what our next step is exactly, but I say dinner is a pretty good place to start."

* * *

Thank you all. Please review to let me know what you think. It's true that reviews are the best way to get the inspiration flowing and allow me to update faster. God bless


	4. Chapter 4

The sun had set hours ago and the four weary hunters had gladly retired to their appointed rooms. Sam and Dean shared the same room they'd been in for over 20 years and that left Bela with the spare room at the end of the hall.

She lay in bed and watched as one by one, the stars came out from hiding outside her open window. She let a small smile grace her lips. She had always loved nights like this. When the air was cool and crisp and there wasn't a cloud in the sky; when crickets chirped in the background and the moon and the stars dazzled the world with their soft light, she could swear there was magic.

With that thought in mind and the Winchesters next door, she drifted peacefully to sleep for the first time in weeks.

….

…_._

_Look at you, sitting here, thinking about the stars of all things. You think that being here with __them__ would keep me out?_

_..._

_No. You're not that lucky. __**We**__ were __**never**__ that lucky. _

…

Even now, in unconsciousness, that dreaded voice of a bitter, tormented, and frightened little girl plagues her. It says the things she's too scared to think about, things she buried with what little remained of her father's charred corpse ten years ago.

As Bela fell further from reality, she became more and more vulnerable to her cruel memory. Shapes began to form out of the blackness that surrounded her cloudy mind.

_Her old bedroom. The solid oak door creaking in protest as it was opened to reveal him, standing there…waiting….expecting. _

With each step he took, Bela's heart rate jumped. With each breath, she could still smell that horrible cologne and the stench of his recently abandoned cigar. With each tear that fell, the woman tossing and turing in Bobby's guest room regressed further into that young girl cowering in her bedroom.

With a stuttering, startled breath, Bela shot straight up in bed, panicked. Her pulse was through the roof and she was covered in cold sweat. With a wide eyed, fearful glance, she noted that she was at Bobby's, far far away from that dreaded place. She was not that same little girl anymore. That girl had died the day her parents had.

Even with the knowledge of her 'safety,' she knew from experience that there was no going back to sleep after a nightmare like that.

Instead, she tried to take her mind off of it as best she could. She crept down Bobby's rickety, wooden stair case. With each step, the stair case moaned and creaked like it was ailing from some unknown disease.

Even with all her skills in stealth and moving about undetected, she felt as if her every movement was being proclaimed to each living soul (and any evil things whose possession of souls was up for debate) within a five mile radius.

The house was bathed in an eery light as the moon shone through the window and the curtains fluttered aimlessly. The moon and star light that earlier, she had thought of as beautiful and comforting now was chilling and haunted. A shiver wracked her body as she made her way to the tattered couch. As she sat down, a puff of dust fluttered up around. Under normal circumstances, Bela Talbot would have been disgusted to be living in such "squaller" but in light of recent events, she wasn't complaining. She let her head fall into her hands and she tried once again to clear her mind of the terrifying vision she'd had.

Sam was sleeping comfortably in the twin bed that had been home to him on the many nights when John left them with Bobby when he embarked on a particularly nasty hunt. Before the young Winchester had hit 18, they'd been forced to push an ottoman up against the bottom to keep the lanky teen's feet from dangling off the edge where it had stayed. That bed was as familiar to him as the leather seats of the impala.

In his deep state of unconsciousness, he was blissfully unaware of his brother's pain.

Across the room in a similarly outfitted twin bed (complete with cowboy sheets), Dean was twitching and flinching in a way that was easily associated with a nasty nightmare until the force of them woke him. He sat straight up in bed, muscles tensed and breathing hard.

Ever since he'd made his deal, nightmares had plagued him, so much so that he'd had to relocate his favorite firearm from it's place of honor, under his pillow, to the nightstand after an unfortunate incident that he was sure both Sam, and an aging motel manager in Wisconsin would not soon forget. Night after night, when the older Winchester closed his eyes, he was forced to relive Sam's traumatic and untimely death, and nearly every night, he woke up in cold sweats imagining he could still feel Sam's warm blood spilling onto his hands. He shot a long look at his brother who was sleeping, but very much alive, and took a long breath that wasn't quite as calming as he'd hoped.

Dean slipped out of the room, not wanting Sam to wake up and see him before he had his head screwed on straight again. He stepped cautiously down the stairs, avoiding all the squeaky spots with a practiced ease that came from many years of sneaking up and down that same noisy stair case.

He'd slipped from his bed to wander around the yard too many times in his youth to forget. Some nights, he'd just walk around or sit next to his old pal Rumsfeld until the torrent of thoughts flooding his mind slowed down. Other nights, he'd go out and run his weary hands over the impala's smooth exterior and talk to her about everything that was on his mind.

Tonight however, he had planned on just slipping down to watch that same crap infomercial that always seemed to be on a 2 am. What he was not expecting was to find Bela in a crumpled heap on the floor. His eyes grew wide with fear that something happened to her before he noted that she was breathing regularly and her eyelids were moving slightly showing that she was deep within a REM cycle, nothing more. He had to bite back laughter that was threatening to overflow. Of course, even something as simple as watching some television at o' dark thirty was too much to ask.

He knelt down beside her and carefully swept her up in his much larger arms and lay her down gently on the couch snagging a blanket from the closet and draping it over her small form. She looked so different when she slept; all the snarkiness and bitch ego melted away from her features. Dean sighed and stepped away and out onto the porch. It was unseasonably warm that year, even at that late hour. He made his way over to the porch swing Bobby insisted he and Sam help him build one summer and thats were he slept until the sun was well over the horizon. Another day had begun.

* * *

Thanks for reading. Sorry it was a little shorter but I thought this was a significant chapter and didn't want to pollute it by adding fluff or part of the next chapter from it. I would LOVE it if you would drop me a review.

God Bless.


	5. Chapter 5

Bela woke up to the sun streaming in and the curtains fluttering aimlessly in the morning breeze. She took a moment to glance around and noted that for the second time in as many days, she'd woken up somewhere other than where she'd fallen asleep and she'd bet her "hard earned" money that her most recent relocation was thanks to the same handsome lunatic as the last time. She hated herself a little bit for the smile that she couldn't keep from spreading across her face as the faded wool blanket he'd draped over her pooled at her ankles as she stood.

The house was quiet and it seemed she was the first one up. She ran her hand haphazardly through her tangled mess of chestnut hair to try and tame it to no avail. She resisted the urge to go and pilfer through Bobby's amulet collection in favor of cleaning herself up a bit. Within 30 minutes, she was showered and cleaned up but remained in her Armani sweatpants. It was far to early to be formal…and she was hiding from a demon and her undead father in the house of an old drunk and two psychopathic serial killers for crying out loud. If she wanted to spend all day in her jammies, that's what she was gonna do and no one, dead or alive, was going to tell her otherwise.

Her bare feet padded silently across the dusty floor to the kitchen. Slightly disgusted at state of disarray she found there, the Brit proceeded to rifle through Bobby's cabinets and fridge until she'd gathered what she was looking for. Judging by what she'd seen of Dean's diet and Bobby's cooking area, Bela certainly wasn't leaving the job of breakfast in the hands of these blokes. It was the most important meal of the day after all.

She'd just finished making a pot of coffee and gathering the eggs, milk, ham, and everything else she'd need when she heard a muffled curse coming from the library.

She'd figured that after all she'd been through, things would cease to surprise her. She'd handled ghost ships, demons, and more than her fair share of cursed objects and psychopaths, yet the sight before her still managed to catch her off guard.

Bobby singer, in plaid pajamas, cursing as he tripped over one of his many books that were piled haphazardly all across the house. He looked up and caught her stare, flushed and embarrassed.

"What?!" He spat out gruffly.

_Apparently Bobby isn't a morning person. _Bela thought smugly with a hand on her hip.

"You know, this kind of thing might not happen if you cleaned up a bit around here." She said with a patronizing smile as she gestured around the room; to the stacks of books, the empty bottles littering the desk, the half inch of dust covering every flat surface, to the….was that a skull in the corner?

"Don't sass me, woman! It's my house and I'll keep my books wherever I damn well please." He grouched as he shuffled around the offending stack in his slippers.

Bela bit back her laughter. She had a feeling she was already pressing her luck with the senior hunter but couldn't hide her eye roll before she turned back to the kitchen. "If my 'sass' is too much for you to handle, you can always make your _own_ breakfast."

That got his attention. He glanced up quickly and caught the look she tossed over her shoulder. He looked surprised and his cheeks colored but his gaze didn't hold even a hint of repentance.

_Some things never change._ She thought with a smile. A way to a man's heart may be through his stomach but it first has to get past his pride.

She sashayed back to the array of bowls neatly displayed across the counter tops. She lifted the largest bowl and poured the egg mixture it contained into the hot pan on the stove. She grinned when she heard the mix make that delightful sizzle when it hit the pan. Perfect.

After her parents' death, Bela could've afforded to have her every meal catered to her but she'd always valued her independence too much to allow that so she learned what she needed and never regretted it.

She began to hum quietly as she gracefully combined ingredients and moved around the kitchen, oblivious to the world around her.

People typically didn't expect her to be capable of anything even remotely domestic and that was fine with her. She carried a certain reputation with the clients and people she associated with that lead them to give her a wide berth and not ask too many questions and they appreciated if she did the same; but she was confident that when she left their presence, no one imagined her going home and being susy home maker.

The only reason she even knew how to cook was thanks to one of the many in a string of nannies she had as a child. Alison was the woman's name and she had insisted, "Everyone must know how to survive on their own." She'd repeated over and over that cooking one's own food was a sign of independence and self-sufficiency and it struck a chord with the young girl. One thing Bela (or Abby at the time) had despised from a young age was being forced to rely on others and if cooking was a way to avoid that, then so be it.

Now, she enjoyed her culinary exploits more because she had complete control over everything. If you followed certain steps and did everything properly, you'd be rewarded with a great meal. No variables. No cons. No schemes or roles to play.

Normally, she hated cooking with other people in the room. It was her way to unwind and stop thinking for a while and with people watching, she couldn't relax. However, when Bobby followed her to the kitchen, she didn't object. It was his house after all and the man looked about asleep on his feet so as long as he didn't try to make conversation, they could coexist.

…

Sam rolled out of bed and stretched out his long muscles that always seemed to tense up during the night. He looked over to where he'd last seen Dean sleeping only to find the bed empty and the covers strewn about. He sighed in discouragement.

It was obvious Dean hadn't been sleeping well for the last couple months and it seemed to keep getting worse the closer they came to his deal coming due. Dean, keeping up his macho big brother routine, had been trying to hide his nightmares from Sam as best he could but his excuses were wearing thin and Sam wasn't easily fooled, especially when it came to his brother.

The younger Winchester rose from his bed and lazily made his way down stairs. He shot a glance outside on his way and nearly stumbled over the last few steps as his mind processed what he was seeing.

Dean. Asleep. On the porch.

Once when he and Dean were younger, Sam remembered, Bobby had caught Dean coming back in around 4 a.m. after sneaking out for the night. Bobby had been sitting exactly where Dean was now and calmly explained to the then 19 year old that if he was going to go out at night, he was going to have to stay out. Dean pulled his best puppy dog eyes (not nearly as good as his little brothers) but the older hunter wasn't swayed in the least. Bobby had come back inside grumbling about 'stupid teenagers' and 'idjits' and went to bed but Dean was left alone in the yard, pouting on that same rickety porch until Bobby unlocked the door and handed him a plate of breakfast several hours later.

Sam did his best to stifle his laughter as he continued on his way to the kitchen following the alluring scent of hot bacon. Dean didn't get enough sleep as it was. Sam certainly wasn't going to interrupt the precious few hours he did get, no matter how ridiculous he looked with his hair sticking up, his mouth partly open, and looking like his unconscious form was going to fall off the swing any minute.

He walked in and saw Bobby leaning against the doorframe between the kitchen and dining room and Bela swaying around the kitchen, cooking. Like everything else she did, she made it look effortless. Sam rubbed his eyes to clear the last of the sleepy haze and to make sure what he was seeing was real. He didn't peg Bela for the domestic type.

As that thought was crossing his mind, she turned and caught his disbelieving stare. She rolled her eyes.

"Oh come on, Sammy." She said mockingly, "If I was going to poison you, I've had plenty of opportunities, yet you're still standing."

"Oh, no, it- it's not that." He sputtered. "I….I just never thought of you as someone who'd like to cook."

She grinned "Oh, so you think of me often?" and winked at the now dumbfounded (and blushing) Winchester.

Before he could reply, a large thump sounded from outside. Immediately, the three of them went on high alert. Bobby had a shotgun in hand before Bela could blink and Sam had pulled his hand gun out from the small of his back. Bela, much to her dismay, had left her weapon in her purse which was in the living room so improvised and grabbed the closest thing she could find, a frying pan. If things weren't so tense, Bobby might've laughed.

The trio tensed and slowly started approaching Bobby's front door to investigate, only to have it open revealing a very disgruntled and unhappy looking Dean.

"Dean! I nearly shot you!" Sam yelled after lowering his gun.

The chastising didn't seem to faze the sleepy hunter who merely squinted and looked Bela up and down. "Why the hell are you waving around a frying pan?"

"Why the hell does your hair look like there's something nesting in it?" She sneered back at him.

He self-consciously swept a hand through his hair and pouted. "I fell off the porch swing. Can we go inside now? I'm starving!"

Back in the kitchen, Bela dropped a plate in front of each of the men and watched in amusement as their eyes widened. Sam may not have expected her to like cooking but he definitely didn't expect her to be good at it. He looked over the display of eggs benedict and orange juice with something akin to glee in his eyes.

Dean chuckled slightly as Sam drooled and Bela went back to make a plate of her own. Eggs Benedict were Sam's absolute favorite but he could never find them at any of the diners they went to. Jessica used to make it for him some weekends at Stanford.

"Hey Sammy, I know it's pretty and all but I think you're supposed to eat it." The older brother mocked.

Sam was trying so hard to resent Bela for all the crap she'd done to them but in the past two days, he could feel it slowly leaking away.

He looked down at his food and grumbled as he took a bite of the meal. "She's still a bitch."

Dean laughed. "I know, brother. I know. Now eat your breakfast, princess."

"Oh shut up. You're just mad that not only did the almighty Dean fall off the porch swing but the girl he insisted tag along made my favorite breakfast instead of his." Sam laughed back.

They may be adults now but sibling rivalry never quite goes away.

Bela and Bobby just rolled their eyes and ate their meals hoping that they'd finish before the Winchester boys descended into a food fight.

* * *

**A/N:**

I'm back! Finally! I know it's been a while since I've updated this fic but I came down with a nasty case of writers block. Hopefully the next one will be out quicker. God Bless.

Oh and a special thank you to those who review. I do so appreciate it.

I'm thinking about doing what I did with my last chaptered story of sending a deleted scene to people who review. There were a couple for this chapter that I just couldn't fit into the flow of it so review and you can see it!


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